Katie Price outplays the polo 'snobs'

Banned from the Cartier International last year on the grounds that she was "too
chavvy" to attend the highlight of the polo season, Katie Price may
have the last laugh.

By Richard Eden

9:56PM BST 20 Jun 2009

Mandrake can disclose that the glamour model better known as Jordan is to host her own polo tournament.

"I would really like to shatter the image of polo as an elitist sport," says Katie, who will be the patron of the Duke of Essex Polo Trophy.

"It does take an enormous amount of skill and courage to ride a polo pony in a competitive match, but it should be open to everyone to enjoy a great day like this, as well as raise a lot of money for charity."

Katie, 31, is a keen horsewoman who has taken part in many equestrian events, including the Horse of the Year Show.

Last year, she criticised the "pure snobbery" of the organisers of the Cartier after they reportedly told her manager that she was "not the sort of person they wanted" at the Guards Polo Club.

Currently the subject of intense media scrutiny because of her separation from her husband, Peter Andre, Katie claimed that she knew more about horses than most of the other guests, who included Emma Watson, the actress, and Jimmy Choo, the shoemaker.

"Eliza Doolittle went to the races with Henry Higgins after a few elocution lessons, but in the 21st century we have become even more class-ridden," she said.

The Duke of Essex Polo Trophy, which will include a Great Britain v Argentina match, will be played at Gaynes Park, near Epping, in July.